Surveillance State by Stealth

The quiet expansion of AI-powered surveillance in Montreal has raised more questions than answers about public transparency and individual rights. A recent report by Radio-Canada led to the removal of a high-powered camera from Henri-Bourassa Boulevard, highlighting the city’s police force reliance on technology to monitor its citizens.

The Cloudrunner CR-H2, manufactured by Genetec, is not just a licence plate scanner. It captures and stores specific vehicle characteristics, including colour, make, and model, blurring the line between public safety and invasive surveillance. Proponents argue that such technology is necessary to combat armed violence and motor vehicle thefts, but critics point out that the lack of transparency and oversight raises serious concerns about civil liberties.

Dominique Peschard, a privacy advocate from the Ligue des droits et libertés, has been vocal about the need for police departments to keep the public informed about the technologies they use. The SPVM’s admission that they were using the Cloudrunner camera without informing the public is striking, especially given the chief’s initial denials of knowledge about the device.

The issue here goes beyond the specific technology in question and extends to a broader push by law enforcement agencies to adopt AI-driven tools at an alarming rate, often without proper oversight or consideration for individual rights. The SPVM’s use of iMotion ROC AI software, developed by Rank One Computing, is part of this trend. While the force claims it’s only using the software to sift through video footage and not for facial recognition or biometric analysis, the risks of abuse are real.

The internal privacy impact assessment prepared by the SPVM in 2023 acknowledges these risks, including the potential for innocent bystanders to be put under investigation and discrimination based on visible social characteristics. The fact that the software is configured to search for objects like a “red coat” or “green bike” rather than identifiable traits is a Band-Aid solution at best.

What’s concerning is not just the technology itself, but the lack of accountability and transparency in its deployment. Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada’s proposal for a voluntary security camera registry during last fall’s election campaign raises questions about the city’s priorities. If the goal is to promote public safety through surveillance, shouldn’t citizens be informed about the extent of their monitoring?

The use of AI-powered surveillance tools in Montreal is part of a larger pattern of law enforcement agencies increasingly relying on technology to gather intelligence and monitor populations. This trend has serious implications for individual freedoms and democratic values.

As the city moves forward with its plans to deploy more Cloudrunner cameras, citizens must demand greater transparency and oversight. The SPVM’s admission that they were using this technology without informing the public is a wake-up call for all of us.